MANILA, Philippines – As the clear underdogs of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, Alas Pilipinas embraces the pressure of hosting while debuting in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
The Philippines got bunched with African and Asian powerhouses in Pool A during the star-studded draw ceremony on Saturday, September 14, at Solaire Resort in Parañaque City.
Still, the Filipinos believe they have something to show in group action against world No. 15 Iran, the Asian Championship runner-up; world No. 20 Egypt, the defending African champion; and world No. 24 Tunisia, winner of 11 continental titles.
The Philippines, the first Southeast Asian country to host the World Championship, will be the lowest ranked team in the tournament at No. 64 when the games unfold from September 12-28, 2025 in Manila.
“There is no pressure for us since we all know there are no [high] expectations…they [might even] expect us to lose, but everything we’ll be training for, we’ll show them in the games,” Alas Men outside hitter Buds Buddin said in Filipino.
“Ipapakita [namin] sa kanila na may ibubuga ang Pilipinas men’s volleyball team, and siguro maglaro nang maglaro para makalaban, hindi lang para sa World Championship, pati na sa SEA Games,” he added.
(We want to prove to them that the Philippines has something to show, and we want to keep fighting not only in the World Championship, but also in the Southeast Asian Games.)
Draw results
The draw results, described as “even” by FIVB ambassador and Dutch volleyball star Nimir Abdel-Aziz, saw world No. 1 Poland getting bunched in Pool B with No. 13 Netherlands, No. 21 Qatar, and No. 26 Romania.
Two-time defending Olympic champion France headlines Pool C that includes No. 9 Argentina, No. 23 Finland, and No. 28 Korea.
Pool D features No. 3 United States, No. 12 Cuba, No. 22 Portugal, and No. 45 Colombia.
World No. 4 Slovenia plays No. 8 Germany, No. 19 Bulgaria, and No. 27 Chile in Pool E.
In Pool F action, world champion Italy dukes it out with No. 14 Ukraine, No. 16 Belgium, and No. 50 Algeria.
World No. 6 Japan faces off against No. 11 Canada, No. 17 Turkiye, and No. 44 Libya in Pool G.
Pool H rounds out the eight groups with No. 7 Brazil, No. 10 Serbia, No. 18 Czechia, and No. 25 China.
‘Big challenge’
Despite the heavy competition, Alas head coach Angiolino Frigoni thinks the Philippines got relatively fortunate in the draw, avoiding powerhouse teams from Europe and the Americas.
“I can say that for us, all teams are pretty difficult, but [our pool assignments], they are not as difficult as Italy, as Poland, and everything,” Frigoni, who previously coached Egypt, told reporters.
Still, Frigoni knows the World Championship will be a “big responsibility” and a “big challenge” for Alas Men, admitting they’re a long way from being an Asian contender.
“Even when the World Championship [is still] far away… the World Championship is not the end of volleyball [for the Philippines], it’s just the start of volleyball. And to build a team, and to build a good level team, you need years, not months,” said Frigoni.
“And this is part of the program that the federation is supposed to do. So start with this period to build a team and continue after the World Championship. My expectation is to do our best, to compete against everybody, and to fight against everybody and don’t give up against anybody.”
Alas Men, according to Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) and Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, will play at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The national team will also headline the opening-day match on September 12, 2025, which will kick off with a concert, per Suzara.
The Saturday draw, which had OPM icon Gary Valenciano headlining the performers, was led by FIVB ambassadors Nimir Abdel-Aziz of the Netherlands, Nootsara Tomkom of Thailand, and Tine Urnaut of Slovenia.
Next year’s games will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and the Mall of Asia Arena.
The top two teams from all eight pools will advance to the knockout round of 16, before heading to the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches. – Rappler.com
